December 18, 2004
Terrorist alert over joke SMS
The Sunday Mail reports that Italian tourist Antonio Casale, on an international flight from Sydney, caused a major security alert when he sent several SMS to his wife saying the plane had been hijacked by Islamic terrorists. The man, who was flying to Vienna, probably sent the messages during a refuelling stop in Kuala Lumpur.
His distressed wife at home in Milan alerted Italian police within minutes. Subsequently, both Australian Federal Police and anti-terror agents in Kuala Lumpur were warned about the possibility of a September 11-style attack.
Casale's message was confirmed as a hoax when negotiators contacted the pilot mid-flight.
A Federal Government spokesman would not confirm whether Casale would be allowed back into the country.
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